Winchester XPR Extreme Hunter True Timber Midnight MB Part I

12/24/2023 – I would have to say this week before Christmas has been eventful. A 60 knot windstorm was at the onset of it all. Big trees came down, in very big numbers, wrapping themselves in power and fiber optic Internet lines on their way to the ground. River areas flooded all over the state, forcing evacuation of homes and businesses.

Family came up from Texas to visit, arriving in Boston, then driving up to Maine. Finding a street without fallen trees blocking their path was the primary challenge, avoiding fast moving streams that decided to go over, rather than under low bridges was another.

What is typically a 24 hour storm power outage, stretched to four days. Restored on the fourth day, that lasted only part day into the fifth when power again went out. Fortunately, the Mainer’s motto, like the Boy Scouts of old, is “Be Prepared”.

When power goes out, a generator starts; electricity to the house and shop. A cell phone hot spot provides Internet connectivity, and a well stocked fridge and freezer stays as cold as intended. Every home in the area is equipped the same.

We installed a 25kW Kohler generator… maybe fifteen years ago. It has seen just under 700 hours of operation, with 100+ of that just from this storm alone. It is serviced twice annually, and auto exercised once each week. Reliable, dependable, it always comes up when power goes down and there is enough power to run all home systems, our well and the shop, including equipment and machines. Perhaps as important, Kohler has quality dealers and service, like Gowen Power Systems.

No, I’m not selling Kohler, or promoting a service company. I don’t think either needs the mention. I’m just grateful, and want to express that gratitude, as good essential equipment and service can sometimes be hard to find.

Well, all good equipment is not hard to find…

Winchester XPR Extreme Hunter Midnight MB
Manufactured	Viana, Portugal
Item #	535776233
Type	Alloy Steel Long Action – 60° Bolt Lift
Caliber	300 Winchester Magnum
Mag Capacity	3 Rounds – Detachable Polymer Magazine
Barrel   Length	26″ Alloy Steel 9/16-24 Muzzle Threads
Rifling	Button Rifled 1:10″ Twist
Weight – Nominal	7 Lbs 0 Oz
Overall Length	46.5″
Stock	Composite Stock – TrueTimber® Midnight Camouflage
Hardware Finish	Tungsten Cerakote
Length of Pull	13 3/4″
Drop at comb	1/2″
Drop at heel	3/4“
Sights	Clean
Scope	Drilled and Tapped 8-40 Fastener
Trigger – M.O.A.	Adjustable 3 – 5 Lbs
Safety	Thumb – 2 Position with Bolt Release
MSRP	$809.99

The Winchester XPR is one of the current generation of firearms that offers outstanding performance and reliability at a comparatively low price.

The lower price point is not achieved through the use of lesser quality materials and/or elimination of useful features. Quite the contrary,

Materials used are high quality, but the firearm’s design allows increased manufacturing automation, a subsequent reduction in direct labor content and an increase in common inventory used across the product line.

While configurations are many, by design, the differences are relatively easy to accommodate in production. Which means a Winchester XPR can have a low price, and still be produced to fit specific applications.

As an example, long range, and/or big game hunting…

The subject rifle, as detailed in the preceding spec box, differs from the basic XPR in several ways: The stock has a True Timber Midnight camo finish. Its 26″ barrel is fluted,  finished in Tungsten Cerakote, with a threaded muzzle, and a very effective radial port muzzle brake.

In an age of hammer forged barrels and chambers, the Winchester barrel is button rifled and stress free. The muzzle end, 0.640″, threads are 9/16″-24. The barrel is free floating.

In the same chamber and barrel length, the Winchester XPR Extreme Hunter Midnight MB weighs 4 oz less than the standard XPR. The rest of the firearm: caliber, barrel length, action, recoil pad, magazine system, bedding system, safety systems, scope mount accommodation, are common to both standard and Extreme Hunter configurations.

The XPR Extreme Hunter True Timber Midnight is available in the following calibers and barrel lengths: 223 Rem • 22, 243 Win • 22, 6.5 Creedmoor • 22, 7mm-08 Rem • 22, 308 Win • 22, 350 Legend • 22, 6.5 PRC • 24, 6.8 Western • 24, 270 WSM • 24, 300 WSM • 24, 270 Win • 24, 30-06 Springfleld • 24,  300 Win Mag • 26, 7mm Rem Mag • 26.

The receiver is made of alloy steel, finished in Tungsten Cerakote. Cerakote is more wet weather resistance and more abrasion resistant than a blue oxide finish.

The XPR Extreme Hunter has very clean lines. The magazine does protrude down a bit to fit three belted magnum rounds, but a hand or rest should not be sitting there anyway. Actually, I take that back, regardless cartridge, they all hold 3 rounds… with the exception of the 223 Remington, which holds 5.

In any event, a single stack 3 is certainly adequate for a hunter. Polymer construction makes for durable pieces. Feed is clean, even with belted cartridges.

A two position safety that yields 3 position safety function. Above, 1) cocked indicator that exposes a red dot when the rifle is… cocked. 2) is a two position on/off safety and 3) locks and unlocks the bolt when the safety is engaged.

The M.O.A. Trigger is adjustable within a range of 3 lbs – 5 lbs. Overtravel is also adjustable. The stock is removed to access adjustment points.

The bolt handle and knob are one piece, so you would not be able to replace the knob with your favorite 8 Ball shifter knob… left over from your 1962 dark metallic blue/white top Ford Sunliner.

The full diameter body bolt, like the receiver, is CNC machined from chrome-moly steel bar stock and Nickel Teflon coated. The extractor is a sliding type and the ejector is spring loaded. The bolt moves cleanly, without excessive drag.

 

300 Winchester Magnum

For the sake of context, L-R: 308 Winchester (1952), 30-06 Springfield (1906), 300 Winchester Magnum (1963), 300 Precision Rifle Cartridge (2018).

As a general rule of thumb, high capacity cartridges offer two things, greater reach with the same weight bullet, and higher velocity with heavy weight bullets. In the real world, results are mostly dependent on barrel length and action length.

A 22″ barrel ahead of a high capacity magnum is usually good for making smokeless powder clouds and ear slapping report with less than optimal velocity. A less than sufficient length action results in deeply seated bullets and a loss of a good chunk of case capacity. Yes, the Remington Ultra Mag series does come to mind, as do more than a few 300 PRCs.

The 300 Winchester Magnum is a 30-06 Springfield length cartridge, so it fits comfortably in a standard length action, as opposed to a short or magnum length action. The measure of magnum performance is always a comparison to a “standard” cartridge. In the case of 0.308″ magnums, it is the 30-06 Springfield.